Melting snow languishing on Boston streets is revealing a filthy mess, testing the resolve of residents and public officials weary from a historic season of storms.
As spring approaches, city officials said Monday they are shifting focus, from snow removal to clearing debris from major streets, garbage from overflowing bins, and dog waste from uncleared park pathways.
“After this unparalleled and unprecedented storm, the city is very dirty and we have to clean it up,’’ said Councilor Matt O’Malley, who called a hearing on cleanup efforts.
Historic monuments, buried under weeks of snow, lay battered. Sidewalks are cracked; street signs destroyed. Once fluffy white snow is now a dense mix of mud.
Interim Public Works Commissioner Michael Dennehy told councilors that since overnight street-sweeping crews began work last Tuesday, some 200 tons of trash have been removed. And the work is just beginning, Dennehy said.